England beat co-hosts Mexico 3-2 in a World Cup thriller at the Estadio Azteca to set up a quarter-final tie with Norway on Saturday night as fans start to believe that 60 years of hurt could be over.
Mexico had lost only two of 89 competitive games at their Azteca fortress and with such a high altitude England were considered underdogs heading into the game which they dominated.
Speaking to Lyllo Casino, Barry revealed that he was surprised England didn’t struggle more and that their performance shows that they have the quality and drive to possibly lift the World Cup.
“I must admit, I thought the conditions being spoken about so much and going further into the tournament would result in players being tired, so I was probably expecting fewer goals and less action.
“It was great to watch and see the other side of it, the goals, the incidents, and so many talking points. Overall, I’m just proud to be English when you see the lads fight until the end with 10 men. I'm absolutely buzzing for the boys to go into the quarter-finals.
“That sort of victory makes you believe England can win the World Cup. Tactically, the way they mixed it up was impressive. Watching closely for the first 10 minutes, Mexico would have been ready for a real high press, but the boys just went with the long ball.
“This England squad is different to the ones I played in, 100%. It feels like there is more togetherness now.”
Victories for England and Norway set up an enticing quarter-final tie against each other in Miami on Saturday night as each side tries to book a place in the next round against one of Argentina or Switzerland.